Taking a step further in the direction of clean and green energy , two West Bengalbased companies -Electrie and Electeca -showcased their new range of products at the EVEXPO 2016 on the Milan Mela premises in Kolkata.

Speaking to TOI, Soham Misra, CEO, Electrie, said, “The e-rickshaw market in India has seen triple-digit growth from 50 thousand units in 2012 to one million in 2016. With the government focusing on the `Green Ride Campaign', we expect a large part of the unauthorized units to phase out.quently Conse , there is going to be a huge demand for replacement and new units, especially in the states of New Delhi, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.“

Electrie started its auto division in 2015 with Chinese Fortune 500-listed automaker Dongfeng Motor. So far Electrie had garnered around Rs 2.5 crore by catering to the premium segment of electric vehicles that included e-bus, e-cart, etc.However, with launch of its erickshaws, the SMEV (Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles) member has forayed into the value segment.

Commenting on the e-rickshaw segment of the e-vehicle
market in West Bengal, Misra said, “The Kolkata administration currently doesn't allow these vehicles to ply on roads.However, we are hopeful to provide the last mile connectivity in New Town soon as it has been declared a smart city .“ The company has sold around 180 units in the state including 5 premium ones at the NSCB airport.

According to Misra, Elctrie has spent Rs 20 crore to set up the e-rickshaw segment and Rs 2.5 crore on its R&D lab at Pune.The auto manufacturer is also planning to move to a company owned manufacturing facility soon at Pune that would have a yearly capacity IVE to manufacture 25,000 units.
Electeca, a comparatively
new company in the electric vehicle segment, also displayed its products in the passenger and commercial loader categories.Commenting on its business, zonal manager, Eleteca, Abhishek K Singh, said, “So far, we have sold around 250 units in a span of three months with a turnover of around Rs 3.37 crore. Presently , we have three models in the market and have lined up a new vehicle, Zippy in the affordable electric car segment for launch.“

Both Electrie and Electeca have priced their products competitively starting from the range of Rs 1 lakh approximately .